10 Common Amish Men’s Names (And 10 Rare Ones)

As we saw in the Amish Name Game post, names repeat themselves among the Amish–not just surnames, but first names as well.

Unsurprisingly, Biblical names are popular among the Amish, both from the Old and New Testament. Some given names, however, have little or no connection with the Bible.

Below, you’ll find ten male first names frequently seen in Amish communities. Since Amish give their children a variety of names, I’ve chosen five Biblically-based names, and five with different origins.

I’ve also included ten uncommon names at the end.

Background information on names is taken from A Dictionary of First Names by Patrick Hanks, Kate Hardcastle & Flavia Hodges unless otherwise noted.

10 Common Male Amish First Names

Samuel – Could this be the most popular men’s name among the Amish? A Hebrew origin name. Samuel was an important Old Testament judge and prophet, who anointed both Saul and David as kings. Quite common in Lancaster County, to name one community.

Amos – Another from the Old Testament, Amos was an eighth-century prophet with a Biblical book bearing his name.

Leroy – according to A Dictionary of First Names, “now considered a typically African-American given name”, Leroy is also quite popular among the Amish. Seems to be more common in Midwestern communities. A non-biblical name, this is from a French nickname meaning “the king.”

John – Johanan (meaning “God is gracious”) is the name in Hebrew, while its Latin form is Io(h)annes. It probably owes much popularity to important Biblical Johns like John the Baptist and the Apostle John. The Dictionary of First Names describes it as “the most perennially popular of all Christian names” in it various forms across different languages.

Elmer – use in America dates to the 19th century, and was popularized by Ebenezer and Jonathan Elmer, “leading activists in the American Revolution.” Originally derived from Old English personal name based on the words æþel (noble) and mær (famous). Neither of those origin stories feel very “Amish”, but nonetheless this is a common name in Amish communities.

Wayne – Also derived from Old English, but its roots feel much plainer, as it comes from an occupational surname with the meaning “wagon maker” based on the Old English word wægn (wagon).

Jacob – Another very common name among the Amish, perhaps reflecting Jacob’s Biblical importance. Father of the Twelve Tribes of Israel.

Vernon – Apparently an aristocratic surname which originates from a French place name, which later made it to England. Not the most common on this list, but pretty common in places like northern Indiana and Holmes County, Ohio.

Eli – Old Testament priest and judge. You see a lot of Elis among Amish, but not many Elijahs.

Mervin – An Anglicized form of the Welsh name Merfyn. Other forms are Mervyn or Merwin (I have yet to see any Amish men spell it that way). Similar-sounding names common among Amish are Marvin, Ervin, and Merlin.

10 Uncommon Amish Men’s Names

Some Amish parents break the mold and opt for more obscure names for their children.

The following uncommon first names were all found in minister listings in the latest Raber’s Almanac.

I’ve included background on some from the Dictionary of First Names. Quite a few aren’t listed there, however.

Perhaps some are short or colloquial forms of names (perhaps some are typos?). In a few places I added my own speculations on these unusual names.

If you’re familiar with any of these names, let us know in the comments.

Iddo – This appeared a couple of times among the ministers. I’ve never met an Iddo (I’m sure I would have remembered). Another source says Iddo was a prophet appearing in the Book of Chronicles. Other Iddos appear in Ezra and Zechariah.

Wollie – I have no idea. An alternate spelling of Wally?

Hannes – Short for Johannes? Feels very German.

Jethro – Biblical name, the father of Moses’ wife Zipporah.

Melbern – Maybe…this is a nickname for Mel, from Berne, Indiana?

Leander – Latin form of the Greek Leandros. A 6th-century Catholic bishop of Seville.

Phenis – A form of Phineas? A typo?

Aquilla – The one unusual name on this list I’d personally seen among Amish before. Latin-origin name meaning “eagle”. In the New Testament, one-l “Aquila” was married to Priscilla, and worked with the Apostle Paul.

Absalom – Biblical name, likely meaning of “father of peace” in Hebrew. According to the Dictionary of First Names, “The name has never been particularly common in the English-speaking world.”

Arden – I know a (non-Amish) Darden, but have never heard of Arden before. Some sources say this is a female name, but I guess it is unisex.

Hope you enjoyed that. If so, we’ll do Amish women’s names as well.

What other Amish men’s names would you add to these lists, common or uncommon?Image credit: Lauren Futch

The Amish Name Game There's a communication challenge Amish people deal with that most of us do not. It's the fact that in Amish communities, names repeat themselves. With a limited pool of surnames, and the popularity…

Tammy , the names which you mentioned are from the Dixon Missouri , Amish Community,,,right???? I know some of them too, but have not heard from them in a Long time …. I know the Bishop’s Ex Amish Son and family in Kentucky,,,,would love hearing more about that area….e-mail at followjesusonly@gmail.com

My sons’ names are Levi, Jacob, Micah, Samuel, Caleb, and Noah, and I get asked all the time if I chose Amish names. We chose Biblical names on purpose, but weren’t thinking of Amish names specifically. (My first son’s name is Troyer, which I guess technically is Amish!)

Nice, I like Troyer as a first name. Of your other sons, Levi, Jacob, Samuel, and Noah are all common among Amish, while Caleb and Micah not really. I’ve never figured out why certain Biblical names enjoy popularity among Amish and others not so much or not at all.

John, as I’ve mentioned above, is a very common name. Of the other three Gospel writers, Mark is probably the next-most common, followed by Matthew (have only come across a few Matthews among Amish). I don’t think I’ve ever met or heard of an Amish Luke.

We chose Troyer because my father had three girls and no sons to carry on his name. My older sister used his first name, I used his last name, and the third sister used his middle name! His middle name is Gideon, by the way, which did come to him through his Amish roots (Gideon was his grandfather’s middle name, and his great-grandfather’s first name).

While doing family history research, I’ve come across some very unusual girls’ names; some sound like they were just made up! I hope you will write a companion post with girls’ names.

Shom, first, how nice to hear from you again. I was just wondering the other day if you were still out there.

I do think family naming traditions have a lot to do with particular names persisting over the generations. People get their uncles’ and aunts’ and grandparents’ names. The interesting part, which is harder to know, is when and how a given name entered the Amish.

Putting myself in the theoretical outsider’s shoes who knows little about the Amish, I’d probably assume Amish names were all Biblical. But as we see, a lot aren’t.

Roman, Mahlon, Mervin, and Amos are all common in the Allen County area. I really enjoyed this article, and would love to see the female names. I’ll bet Katie tops the list! Speaking of people who we haven’t heard from lately, where is Mark?

In Lancaster I’ve come across two people named Omar. No idea how they came to use that name. Also, my friend’s don’s name is Daniel-Lee. Daniel is quite popular but Lee, not quite sure. Two names together as a first name is quite unusual I would think.

That one surprised me too Debbie. You’ve also got Omer, and Homer. Here’s a snippet from Wikipedia on the name:

“Omar, Omer, Ömer or Umar (Arabic: عمر‎, Hebrew: עומר‎), is a male given name of Arabic and Hebrew origin, mentioned in the Book of Genesis. It is a common name in Arab and Muslim territories and populations in general, as well as in Spanish-speaking countries.”

The Dictionary of First Names adds that it apparently means “talkative” in Hebrew.

One of the writers of the book Plain Faith was once an Amish man. His name is Ora Jay. I guess that would be first name and middle name. But both names are used in the true story they wrote about their life. His wife Irene referred to him as Ora Jay.

It’s funny – pop culture has ‘Jebediah’ as the stereotypical Amish name, but in all my reading, I don’t think I’ve come across a single occurrence of it in real life. At most, I think some conservative Amish groups might be more likely to use longer, less common Biblical names – in a couple of news stories about Amish opposition to SMV triangles, I’ve seen the names Ananias and ‘Hecekiah’ (presumably a variant spelling or journalistic misspelling of Hezekiah).

My son in law is a fireman in Glen Burnie MD. In his house is an Amish man. His name is Esh. He told my son in law that when he visits his parents, he must dress in the clothes he left home in, and bring no electronics in the home. His parents were not allowed to attend his graduation from the Fire Academy. They are very much old school, they do farming. I look forward to meeting him the next time I visit the fire house with goodies.

Other Amish names — Oba (also called Obie), Joas, Josie (have met several Josies through the years). I was surprised when I first met an Amish man named Josie, because I had always thought of that as a woman’s name. Also I think Menno, Enos, and Christ (pronounced with a short “i”, not long “i” like Jesus Christ)are quite common.

Knew a Phineas in Reno County, Kansas (yoder) but he recently passed. He had an “antique” shop and had interesting things for sale. His name was pronounced Feenis, but spelled Phineas. Also know an Atley there. My grandpa was Enos and great grandpa was Shem.

The name Hannes is short for the German Johannes. I knew a man who went by Hannes when I was in the German choir in Fort Wayne. He immigrated from Germany to Indiana some years ago and was a Tischler (carpenter or woodworker, as in one who makes furniture)by trade. I once was made aware that the name John is Sean in Irish Gaelic, Ian in Scottish Gaelic, Jean in French, Johannes and Johann in German, Jan in Polish and some other Slavic languages, and Ivan in Russian. All were derived from the Hebrew Yochanan (ch as in “J.S. Bach”). Perhaps some of the odder names are German derivatives of Bible names? Just guessing there. Blessings.

I looked up Jan in th elist of Norwegian names and this is what I found. “Jan” male..Dutch, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Czech, Polish, Slovene, German, Catalan Form of JOHANNES. This name was borne by the 15th-century Flemish painter Jan van Eyck and the 17th-century Dutch painter Jan Vermeer.

Hey Erik, Our Eric is with a c instead of a k so he wouldn’t have to correct everyone who would write his name! lol!

Have you ever watched Dr Pol the vet who is on Sat night? His name is Jan and he’s from Holland. We had a dr in town who was Jan. A friend told me years ago that when you find a name for the baby that is on the way, you holler it out the back door and if it has a good flow to it, then use it! lol So, your name I feel goes better as Eric Yahn instead of Eric Jan. Our kid is Eric Andrew, and he has 3 sibs that are Emily, Evan and Elden!

Mine often becomes Erik with a “c” when others write it, but that doesn’t bother me. The best is when the last name gets messed up too, so I become “Eric Western”. Sounds like a Viking cowboy character 🙂

I am not Amish but Mennonite, which is very similar. I have never heard of an Amish Osiah but where I come from my name is fairly common. I have a grandson Shaphan Isaac. Shaphan was chief scribe for King Josiah and helped him with the great reformation. Isaac is a more common name – someone wondered what my son was expecting of his son considering who the biblical Shaphan was. And Isaac, well around here he is known as a “famous Mennonite historian.” Luke and Leander are fairly common names here. Fermon, Tilman, Angus, Amsey, Benjamin, Elo, and Ivan are other names in use by Ontario Old Order Mennonites.

I asked Mark what some of the common Amish names are in the Belle Center area. He said that all of the following names are used more than once in the community: Daniel, Marvin, James, Chester, Levi, Matthew, Mahlon, Steven, Curtis, Conrad, Joseph, Thomas, Nathan, Leon, Mark, Samuel, Paul,

My kids are: Elizabeth, Rebekah, Micah Josiah, and Hannah…we often get comments regarding their names, especially Rebekah’s and Micah’s. My brother-in-law even commented that, “Some Amish man is missing his name.” when my son was born (we were living just outside Philly at that time, and of course, my BIL knew of my fascination of the Amish.)

I looked up the names in the Church and Family Directory of the Upper Valleys of Pennsylvania for our area (South White Deer District). The most common male names were: Elmer, Benjamin, Stephen(Steven), John (Jonathan), Emmanuel, Samuel, Henry, Daniel and Isaac. The more uncommon ones were: Bena, Phares, Arie, Chester, Lloyd, Leon, Norman, Jerry and Melvin.

Kay thanks for sharing this here and on the other posts about the Upper Valleys. One jumped out at me here–Bena, which I thought was a female name (at least I thought I knew of a female someone in the Holmes County Amish going by that name). Interesting to see too that some of the least common here would be rather common in other places.

I’ve spent a lot of time personally with Amish in MN and WI (I used to do work with them). I imagine first names are different in different regions, as are surnames. I’ve often heard the male names Benjamin and Matthew, Aaron, Isaiah. These are common.